


Know You're Enough

by Planteria



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Soulmates AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Planteria/pseuds/Planteria
Summary: The night of your sixteenth birthday, your soulmark appears somewhere on your body. Zuko's had his for almost a year now and hasn't figured it out yet. In the middle of the night, Sokka comes to him, anxious about his new soulmark and what it might mean for him going forward.
Relationships: Background Mai/Zuko (Avatar) - Relationship, Background Sokka/Suki (Avatar) - Relationship, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 1551





	Know You're Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all. I haven't written fanfic or posted on here since I was like fifteen, so please go easy on me. I also was so excited to post this that I didn't really proofread, lmao.  
>  ~~this was originally inspired by a song that turns out was by a racist so we're going to forget _that_ and say~~ **black lives matter**  
>  This all takes place a month after the end of the series. Idk how close it is in relation to the events of the comics. I'm bad with dates. Also I chose the age 16, just so I wouldn't have to deal with like rewriting the series just for this and also in world, it seems like an important age (when the avatar is announced).  
> Enjoy! :)

There was searing pain running up his arm. Zuko awoke, gritting his teeth and sweating. This would be a really bad time to get sick again as he had in Ba Sing Se. Uncle wasn’t here this time to take care of him. He was the Fire Lord now and him being incapacitated wasn’t an option. Sitting up, he went to rub his eyes with his right arm, flinching when the pain intensified. Running his fingers over his inner bicep, where it hurt the most, he couldn’t feel anything wrong with his arm. He hadn’t felt this sort of pain there since he had gotten his soul mark nearly a year ago. Uncle had also been there for that, so excited for him that he got one, unlike his father. It was a lot of pain for a small, black V to appear right next to his elbow. From that moment, he knew it wasn’t Mai. She had gotten hers a year before him. In the time they had been together, she never let him see it, though he did see it on accident once. From looking at it, it wasn’t him. On both arms, starting at the elbow, a pink ribbon ran across her, ending at her shoulder blades. They’d agreed that they didn’t mind and kept dating anyway. 

Getting out of bed, he pulled a robe on and walked to his bathroom. He just wanted to splash water on his face. If he was sweating in the thin pants he wore to bed, then he may just need to cool down for a bit. Outside of the pain in his arm, he felt normal. Maybe he’d pulled a muscle? He wasn’t sure. It’s not like he did anything that was physically demanding anymore. He rubbed his eyes, arm still aching, and stared at himself in the mirror. It was the middle of the night and he was ready to go back to bed. Before he could get there, his door opened. 

“Zuko?” Sokka asked quietly. “Are you awake?” 

“Yes,” he answered, his voice a bit rough. 

“Oh, good. Can I come in?” Zuko rolled his eyes a bit and told him, “Yes,” again. Sokka made his way in and laid down on Zuko’s bed. He really didn’t care, sitting at the foot of his bed, back against the frame. It had only been about a month since Zuko’s coronation. He’d offered for Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph to stay in the palace with him whenever they needed to until they found a permanent residence. For now, they were all still there with him, which part of him was grateful for. 

“Can I ask you something?” Sokka said, breaking the silence. Zuko gave him a nod. “Did getting your soul mark hurt? Because mine really hurts.” 

“Today’s your birthday?” Zuko asked, a bit surprised. 

“Yup,” Sokka said nonchalantly. “The big one six.” 

“Uh… well, happy birthday.” He felt awkward as if he’d forgotten his birthday despite not knowing about it until a few seconds ago. 

“Thanks, but seriously, dude, did yours hurt? Mine hurts so bad right now,” he said, rubbing his left bicep. 

“Yeah, mine hurt too. I think that’s normal.” 

“Makes sense. Guess getting a cosmic tattoo is still like getting a normal tattoo.” He looked up at Zuko with a smile. He gave him a small one in reply. 

“Have you looked at it yet?” Zuko asked, a bit curious. 

“No…” Sokka said, growing a bit somber. “I’m worried it won’t be Suki. She won’t get hers for another few months and I don’t want to break the news to her.” Zuko nodded as Sokka turned his head to stare out the window. “Yours is Mai, isn’t it?” 

“No. Neither of us has each other, but that’s fine.” Sokka sat up, looking at him in shock. “I don’t think I’ve met my soulmate, so for the time being, neither of us really care.” Sokka nodded a bit, mulling over what Zuko had just said. 

“I just want mine to be Suki. I don’t know if someone would accept some of the stuff I’ve done like she does.” Sokka said after a thoughtful moment.

“Like what? As far as I’m aware, you guys didn’t actually do anything atrocious in the war.”  _ Unlike somebody here, _ he thought to himself.

“I—it’s just...” Sokka sighed, pulling his knees against his chest. “I’m not a virgin. Plus, I’ve kissed so many other girls. I don’t know if my soulmate would accept the fact that I didn’t wait for her.” 

Shaking his head, Zuko stated, “I don’t think she’d care. I mean, she’s your soulmate. Everyone gets their soulmark at the age of sixteen. I think she’d understand that you… uh, didn’t wait.” Sokka huffed and laid back down. His long-sleeved shirt rode up a bit, revealing his stomach. 

“Zuko,” he said, eventually. “Are you a virgin?” 

He snorted. “No.” Sokka chuckled, seeming a bit relieved. Reaching up, he ran a hand through his hair and stared out the window again. 

“I don’t know, man. I thought you’d have good advice since you already have one.” He paused for a moment. “And because you’re the almighty Fire Lord.” It was Zuko’s turn to laugh this time. Sokka stared at him, wide-eyed, but not really shocked.

“I’m not sure how good my advice is.” 

“It’s been fine so far,” Sokka replied with a smile. He sighed. “Would it be weird if you looked at it for me and told me what it is? I’m just nervous, ya know?” It caught Zuko a bit off guard. Uncle had made him look at his before letting anyone else see. He said that they represented an intimate connection and it was important for the owner to see it first. 

“Are you sure? Don’t you want to see it first?” 

“I don’t think I’ll ever look at it if I have to do it myself.” It was a firm answer. Zuko sighed, knowing he really couldn’t fight Sokka on this and moving across the bed. Squeezing his eyes shut, Sokka rolled up his left sleeve. There, wrapping around his bicep, was a red dragon, mouth open to a golden fire nation emblem that sat right on the tip of his shoulder. Zuko’s heart skipped a bit and his upper right arm seemed to tingle.  _ It better not be Azula, _ he thought in a panic. Not really thinking, he reached out, touching the outline of the dragon. It felt like lightning was entering through his fingers and running up his veins again. Sokka’s eyes shot open and his head snapped towards Zuko. 

“It looks like Ran,” Zuko muttered almost silently. Sokka turned his gaze towards his arm, seeing his soul mark for the first time. All he did was blink for a moment before dropping his sleeve. The two made eye contact again, not sure what to say to each other. 

Finally, Sokka panicked enough to break the silence. “Please, don’t tell me it’s Azula. Please, please, please don’t tell me it’s her.” Zuko could hear the lump in his throat. 

“No, it can’t be. She’s not old enough to have one and uncle told me once that you don’t get a full… Oh, shit,” he trailed off, coming to another realization. 

“A full what?” Sokka demanded, as Zuko hastily took off his robe. “What are you doing?” There was more to his soulmark now than when he had gone to bed. A sword ran down his inner bicep, the tip ending in the corner of a black boomerang. Sokka’s mouth fell open as he looked down at Zuko’s completed soulmark.

“You don’t get a full one until you’re both sixteen,” he stated, not wanting to look Sokka in the eyes just yet. Part of Zuko was glad that his father had never gotten a chance to see this. There would be no shame to follow this revelation. No words saying he was less of a man for this. Unfortunately, there were Sokka’s tears. 

“No, no, no, no, no!” He muttered, trying to push himself up off the bed, but instead falling on the floor. “No, I—” he let out a strained laugh, grabbing his hair. “Fuck. This isn’t how I thought this would go.” He sat himself up, one leg folded as he leaned against the bed. “I—I just wanted it to be Suki.” His voice gave out as he gave into the tears. Not sure if it was the right thing to do, Zuko lowered himself to the floor next to Sokka. 

Honestly, he hadn’t fully processed what this meant just yet. Sokka was, though, and he wasn’t doing well. Awkwardly, Zuko reached a hand out and put it on Sokka’s shoulder. When he didn’t push him off, he moved to wrap his arm around his shoulders instead. Sokka rested his forehead against Zuko’s bare collarbone, prompting him to wrap his other arm around him. Was he supposed to be offended that this was his soulmate’s reaction to their discovery? He felt a bit like he should, but instead, he just felt numb. Maybe it was the shock of it or the fact that he never knew how to handle people crying. Suddenly, Sokka’s arms were wrapped around his waist, his legs straddling Zuko’s lap, their soulmarks aligning. From that spot on his arm, Zuko felt a warmth spread through him. It wasn’t uncomfortable heat, one that would make him sweat after too long, but comforting. He ducked his head, resting it on Sokka’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that for, but gradually Sokka’s sobs subsided. 

“How the hell am I going to tell Suki?” Sokka mumbled into his neck. 

“I don’t know,” Zuko breathed back. “But I’ll go with you when you tell her.” Sokka hummed something back, nestling his face farther into Zuko’s neck. Hesitantly, Zuko reached his hand up to comb his fingers through Sokka’s hair. It was supposed to be comforting, but it wasn’t exactly his forte. He felt Sokka sigh and lift his head up. Pulling back a bit, they made eye contact. 

“I’m glad it’s you,” Sokka said eventually. He chuckled and dropped eye contact. “Obviously, I would’ve preferred Suki, but I’m glad it’s someone I already know.” Zuko nodded, his eyes drawn once again to the newest addition to his body, the sword that lined his inner arm. To be honest, he had been anticipating his soulmate to be a woman as well. Life in the Fire Nation was fairly heteronormative. Hell, up until the age of about twelve he thought he was straight too. Piandoa had taught him just as much about himself as swordsmanship. 

“I’m glad it’s you too,” Zuko whispered, looking up to meet Sokka’s eyes. After a moment, he smirked and said, “Did you know before tonight that you were into guys, or am I about to be your sexual awakening?” It was supposed to be a joke, but Sokka’s face flushed. Holding Zuko out at arm’s length, he moved off of his lap and onto the floor next to him. 

Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling. “Honestly, no. I didn’t even consider that my soulmate might be a guy before tonight. I just—ugh.” He covered his eyes with his palms. Zuko nodded. He had a full year to process that his significant other wasn’t his soulmate. Plus he’d had so many years to accept the fact that he was not straight. He was trying his best to be patient with Sokka who had had only a few minutes to come to terms with all of that. 

“We can just be platonic soulmates if that’s what you prefer.” Zuko was chewing the inside of his cheek. He honestly  _ wouldn’t _ be okay with that option, but he’d do it if that’s truly what Sokka wanted. Truthfully, he couldn’t believe how far he’d come in just a year. Had this happened a year ago he probably would have gotten defensive and yelled at Sokka, still desperate to just be good enough for someone. 

Fingers were grazing his cheek and Sokka’s lips were on his. He pulled back in shock, meeting those blue eyes. “Sorry,” Sokka began, before being interrupted. Zuko grabbed his face and brought their mouths together again. Sokka seemed to melt into him, his right hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. Moving away again, Zuko smiled, a chuckle escaping his mouth. Unadulterated happiness was becoming more common these days, but he was still always a bit surprised at how good it felt. Seeming unknowingly, Sokka copied him, tears coming to his eyes. 

Wiping them away, he muttered, “Sorry, I’m just still overwhelmed.” 

“It’s okay,” Zuko said, pulling him into his chest again. They sat like that for a while. The quiet of the palace settled over them. Moonlight shone through the open window. His cheek against the top of Sokka’s head, Zuko began to feel himself drifting off to sleep again. He wouldn’t mind staying like this for the rest of the night. Sokka took a deep breath and pushed himself off of Zuko for the second time that night. 

“I should get back to bed,” he stated, standing up and moving to leave. Zuko grabbed his hand. 

“I want you to stay,” he said gently. Sokka looked like he wanted to argue for a minute, before nodding, helping pull Zuko up off the floor. The two moved to opposite sides of the bed, Sokka taking off his shirt, and Zuko pulling back the sheets. They climbed in, laying so that their eyes met. 

Chuckling a bit, Sokka muttered, “Are you okay with the fact that I’ve kissed other people and I’m not a virgin?” 

Amusedly huffing, Zuko replied, “As long as you’re okay with me not being one either.” He punctuated the statement by bringing his lips to Sokka’s again. Wrapping his arms around the smaller teen, he whispered, “Just know you’re enough.” He didn’t hear or see Sokka’s response, his eyes closing. They fell asleep like that: Sokka in Zuko’s arms, cuddled into his chest, their soulmarks touching. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please, let me know if you liked this. Also I'm hoping to post another longer fic soon, so stay tuned if you liked this one. It will also sort of be from Zuko's POV (he's my favorite character and I just enjoy writing as him), but it will be a Modern High School AU.  
> Thanks for reading! :)


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